The 189cm prospect has been compared to the Pies' games record holder by 1970 Myrtleford premiership coach Martin Cross, who happens to be his great-grandfather.

From an early age, those close to him knew something special was in store.

Despite a major setback with a torn ACL in pre-season, the Border product with an innate goal sense is set to be the region's highest AFL draft pick since Justin Koschitzke went to St Kilda at No.2 in 2000 when his name is read out on December 9.

Football is certainly in Elijah's blood, with great-grandfather Cross having played 36 VFL games, which included a grand final, and kicked 36 goals in his three seasons at Carlton from 1961 and 1963 and went on to coach the Saints to their only senior Ovens and Murray flag.

His grandfather, Bert, played more than 350 matches of senior football, while his father, Ben, managed eight AFL games at Richmond in 1999 and also spent time on Sydney and Port Adelaide's rookie lists.

Cross could tell Elijah, who has played primarily at half forward and through the midfield, was destined for big things in his early days at Wodonga.

"I can remember watching him playing under-14s and he had some really outstanding skills, particularly around the packs," he said.

"You can see guys that can handle it like Scott Pendlebury and they have plenty of time. His brain is working properly and Elijah has always had that."

The decision to complete year 11 and 12 at Melbourne private school Caulfield Grammar is what Elijah believes helped him take that raw talent to the next level.

ALSO IN SPORT:

"You're playing with your school mates every week and you have those school staff, coaching staff and physios that you can see almost whenever," he said.

"The footy environment and the way it is run down there is really high quality, so is the NAB League and the Murray Bushrangers, but it's probably the extra distance that holds it back a little bit.

"For under-15s you play School Sport Victoria, which is a whole Victorian side, not just Vic Country, so I played that and all the practice matches and trials were at Caulfield.

"Barry Rowlings, the head of football there, is all over it and is always looking for the next kid to come to the school.

"He had a good volume of matches to watch and I think after one of the last trial games before we headed to Perth to play the national carnival, he came up to mum and dad and asked if I'd like a tour.

"It was pretty funny because it was mentioned at the start of the year and I'd thrown it away, but then decided to give it a crack.

"I'd seen the ground but not really what was inside, so I got a tour of the facilities and it's obviously really high quality stuff.

"I always wanted to put myself at the highest level possible and whatever I do, I want to surround myself with the best."

Rowlings, a VFL premiership player at Hawthorn in 1976 and Richmond in 1980, has directed Caulfield Grammar's football program since 1996 and didn't let the opportunity slip to get Elijah on board.

Dual Brownlow Medallist and AFL premiership player Chris Judd headlines a long list of talented players to come through the school during his quarter of a century there.

"When Elijah was at Caulfield Grammar it was easy to see he was a real competitor," Rowlings said.

"He played on a half forward flank and a bit in the midfield.

"In our last game against Carey last year, which was actually the last game we played because we didn't have any this year, he went for a big 'specky' and hurt his shoulder.

"To his credit, he wanted to keep playing so he got it strapped up and kept going.

"He's definitely got the right attitude that's for sure."

Ben believes the competitive environment within boarding schools goes largely unnoticed by the general public.

"I think the thing that's undersold a little bit in a boarding sense is the boys drive and push each other," Ben said.

"They're training together every single day, they're in the gym together.

"My middle son Ollie is at Geelong Grammar and he's got a really close circle of mates that all want the same thing and they're training every day.

"It's not quite like that up here. You come home after school, everyone goes about their own business and you go to footy training.

"Elijah had the benefit of that and he's got a couple of his closest mates in the same boat like Zavier Maher from Shepparton, Will Phillips and a couple of other mates at school who have had the same experience.

"The kids driving each other is just as important as the rest of the coaching staff.

"I think a big part of the reason you play footy is doing it with your mates, so if you're going for a run or going to the gym and you're doing it with your two best mates, it becomes fun."

Despite not having the chance to play a game in 2020, Ben expects a lot of talent to come out of this year's draft pool.

"Probably outside of Elijah's All Australian game and the futures game on grand final day, his best games were playing at Caulfield," he said.

"I can think of one where he had 30 touches and kicked six goals, so they've got that game, whereas the rest of the public and all the punters haven't seen that.

"They've got lots of that to go on, they haven't got many games, but obviously there's data that sees kids project in their final year and evaluate them that way.

"Having watched Elijah and lots of his close mates come through, I think it's a really exciting draft. There's some pretty freaky talents out there and lots of tall kids who are incredibly athletic.

"I think in a few years' time there will be some really special kids, the disappointing thing is they didn't get to show it this year."

Elijah was one of the rare bottom-agers to play all four national carnival matches for Victoria Country last year under coach Leigh Brown, who outside his family, has had the biggest impact on his football career.

He earned the opportunity to play for Victoria Country at under-18 level after successive All-Australian honours in 2017 and 2018 and was also selected for the Australian under-17s to face New Zealand last year.

By his own admission he didn't have a huge national carnival, but it set him up for a huge second half of the year which culminated in a best on ground performance on AFL grand final in the under-17 all-stars futures clash at the MCG.

Elijah had 24 disposals, five clearances and booted two goals to storm into contention as a possible number one draft pick.

He graduated from Caulfield Grammar at the end of 2019 and had his sights set on a massive top age year in 2020 with the Murray Bushrangers when disaster struck.

During a routine training session with home club Wodonga, Hollands had ran back to take a mark when his left leg planted into the ground and his knee buckled.

Those fears soon became reality when scans confirmed it was a season-ending ACL injury and it hit the tight-knit family hard.

"I was actually at mum and dad's when it happened and got a phone call from (Wodonga football manager) Darren Mathey," Ben said.

"As soon as I answered the phone I could tell in his voice something serious had happened.

"We were devastated for him. At the stage footy was still going ahead, but I had seen him do really well the three previous years so I thought he had a few runs on the board.

"Elijah was given a bit of confidence after that and so were we and it just became about his rehab after that. Then of course everything changed (with COVID-19).

"He's been really positive and to be honest he's had a great impact on the rest of us during this time. It's been something for us all to be excited about.

"Because of his mindset around it, it's probably made it a bit easier for the rest of us to support him, which is credit to Elijah."

Elijah has received a wealth of support from family, friends and even current AFL players after the injury, with St Kilda forward Max King among those to reach out to him, but as it turned out, he didn't miss a game with no football played in Victoria due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think it's built my resilience a lot to have full confidence with stuff like that," he said.

"Speaking with a few clubs, they've acknowledged that as well.

"I've kept a glass half full kind of mentality throughout the year.

"It hasn't only been driven by me, it's been driving by all these guys (Ben, Bert and Martin) and the rest of the family and my close friends around Albury-Wodonga and down in Melbourne as well who have really kept me motivated throughout the year.

"The injury has given me a different outlook on this year, it's been very different to what I'd imagined my draft year to look like.

"Getting that out of the way, I got realign those goals, I got to get in the gym a lot more and got a proper gym program set up because I didn't really have one until this year when I started my rehab.

"Last year at school was a bit more difficult to get into the gym and stuff like that, so having this year gave me those learnings."

Bert drew comparisons between Elijah and Ben when he started his AFL journey.

"He was a skinny little kid running around, but you could see the same sort of ability coming through," Bert said.

"Just being able to get out of packs and knowing where to run. He's very good on both sides of his body like Benny was.

"He's got Benny in the sense of the longer kicking and kicking more goals. He's faster and taller (laughs).

"We have a bit of a joke because he (Elijah) has only kicked 11 goals in a game and I've kicked 13, so he's got a little way to go."

Murray Bushrangers coach Mark Brown didn't have a lot of continuity with Elijah in the NAB League program, but said he made a big impact during his short time there.

"Everyone in the group gravitates towards him, which is not unexpected when you're considered a number one pick," he said.

"He's a confident kid without being overly confident, he believes in his own ability and drives himself really hard.

"I think two really important attributes to have as a potential league footballer are that you're confident in your ability and that you drive yourself to get the absolute best out.

"He ticks a lot of boxes and it will be a real pleasure to watch him forge out his league career over the next dozen or so years."

Whist being selected early in the national draft often brings added expectation, Ben said Elijah is motivated by it.

"All of us have had expectations at different times of our careers, so you could look at it as pressure or as acknowledgement that you're doing the right thing, which is the way we've tended to focus on it," he said.

"Keep doing the things you're doing and find ways to get better and if some expectation comes along with that because you're going well then that's good because it means you're doing lots right.

"If he was selected in the first handful it's acknowledgement in lots of different areas that he's doing lots of things right."

Elijah admitted he's still two to three months away from getting match fit and clubs he has been in contact with understand it's a long-term vision.

"They're not thinking about me playing round one next year, it's not as important as what the next 10 years could hopefully look like," Elijah said.

"Especially with the year we've had, they haven't been able to come up and do any medicals on my knee and none of the recruiters or club doctors have seen me.

"They want to make sure they have their heads wrapped around where I'm at and how my body is looking and set it up from there."

The 2020 draft will be unique in a lot of ways with draftees to be announced virtually for the first time.

"A few clubs, recruiters and a few mates I have that are now in the system have mentioned how weirded out they are with the way things have played out, but I haven't known a different draft year," Elijah said.

"It's the only draft year I've had and it's what I've become accustomed to, so I guess it's all in perspective."